Executive Chef – Luxury Hotel & Banquet Operations

Restaurant Zone Recruiting; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The luxury Boston hotel is seeking an accomplished Executive Chef to lead culinary operations across its dining outlets, 24-hour personal dining, and expansive banquet program.

You will manage a scratch kitchen, drive menu development, control food and labor costs, and build a high-performing team while upholding utmost guest satisfaction. Union experience is a major plus, and candidates with luxury hotel background and strong leadership are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive culinary experience in luxury hotels or comparable high-end hospitality operations.
• 2–3 years of supervisory or senior culinary leadership experience.
• Union hotel experience strongly preferred.
• Proven experience overseeing multiple culinary outlets, banquet operations, large-scale events, or high-volume food production.
• Strong background in scratch kitchens, menu development, culinary execution, and elevated food presentation.
• Experience managing food costs, labor budgets, purchasing, inventory, and operational performance.

Responsibilities

• Culinary Leadership: Oversee daily kitchen operations, food production, and service execution across hotel dining outlets, personal dining, and banquet operations.
• Banquet & Event Operations: Lead culinary planning and execution for large-scale events, private functions, meetings, and special occasions while maintaining quality and service timelines.
• Menu Development: Collaborate with food and beverage leadership to create seasonal menus, outlet offerings, banquet menus, and customized selections for prospective clients.
• Scratch Kitchen Standards: Maintain high standards for ingredient quality, preparation techniques, recipes, presentation, portion control, and consistency.
• Team Leadership: Recruit, train, coach, schedule, and develop chefs and kitchen associates while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, and culinary excellence.
• Financial Management: Monitor food and labor costs, purchasing, inventory, payroll, forecasting, waste reduction, and departmental budgets.
• Service Quality: Evaluate food quality, taste, temperature, presentation, and timing while responding promptly to guest concerns.
• Union Workforce Leadership: Apply relevant experience working within unionized environments, including scheduling, workforce coordination, employee relations, and applicable workplace procedures.
• Food Safety & Sanitation: Enforce health department regulations, safe food handling, sanitation procedures, and consistent kitchen cleanliness.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Partner with food and beverage leadership, banquet sales, stewarding, purchasing, and engineering to ensure efficient operations.
• Operational Reporting: Review food costs, labor reports, inventory levels, forecasts, and performance metrics to support profitability and continuous improvement.

Skills

Culinary leadership

Team leadership

Menu development

Financial management

Food safety & sanitation

Union experience

Kitchen operations

Education

Culinary degree or equivalent

Job description

A prestigious luxury hotel in Boston is seeking an accomplished, hands-on Executive Chef to lead culinary operations across its hotel dining outlets, 24-hour personal dining, and extensive banquet and event program.

This leadership role oversees approximately $13.6 million in combined annual outlet and banquet business. The operation includes an intimate bar serving lunch and dinner, around-the-clock personal dining, and approximately 18,000 square feet of event space hosting a variety of meetings, celebrations, and special events.

The ideal candidate brings luxury hotel or high-end hospitality experience, strong financial and operational expertise, and the ability to lead a high-performing culinary team in a demanding, fast-paced environment. The kitchen operates as a scratch kitchen, with menus influenced by contemporary, elevated restaurant concepts.

Union experience is a major plus. Candidates who have successfully led culinary teams in unionized hotel environments are strongly encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Culinary Leadership: Oversee daily kitchen operations, food production, and service execution across hotel dining outlets, personal dining, and banquet operations.
• Banquet & Event Operations: Lead culinary planning and execution for large-scale events, private functions, meetings, and special occasions while maintaining quality and service timelines.
• Menu Development: Collaborate with food and beverage leadership to create seasonal menus, outlet offerings, banquet menus, and customized selections for prospective clients.
• Scratch Kitchen Standards: Maintain high standards for ingredient quality, preparation techniques, recipes, presentation, portion control, and consistency.
• Team Leadership: Recruit, train, coach, schedule, and develop chefs and kitchen associates while building a culture of accountability, collaboration, and culinary excellence.
• Financial Management: Monitor food and labor costs, purchasing, inventory, payroll, forecasting, waste reduction, and departmental budgets.
• Service Quality: Evaluate food quality, taste, temperature, presentation, and timing while responding promptly to guest concerns.
• Union Workforce Leadership: Apply relevant experience working within unionized environments, including scheduling, workforce coordination, employee relations, and applicable workplace procedures.
• Food Safety & Sanitation: Enforce health department regulations, safe food handling, sanitation procedures, and consistent kitchen cleanliness.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Partner with food and beverage leadership, banquet sales, stewarding, purchasing, and engineering to ensure efficient operations.
• Operational Reporting: Review food costs, labor reports, inventory levels, forecasts, and performance metrics to support profitability and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of progressive culinary experience in luxury hotels or comparable high-end hospitality operations.
• At least 2–3 years of supervisory or senior culinary leadership experience.
• Union hotel experience strongly preferred.
• Proven experience overseeing multiple culinary outlets, banquet operations, large-scale events, or high-volume food production.
• Strong background in scratch kitchens, menu development, culinary execution, and elevated food presentation.
• Demonstrated success managing food costs, labor budgets, purchasing, inventory, and operational performance.
• Experience recruiting, training, and developing culinary teams, including sous chefs and kitchen supervisors.
• Knowledge of food safety regulations, sanitation standards, and applicable food and beverage requirements.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and maintain standards during peak service and multiple simultaneous events.
• Culinary degree or equivalent professional experience preferred.
• Flexible availability for evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events.